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of the Statement of Sportsmanship
Statement of Sportsmanship |
STATEMENT OF SPORTSMANSHIP
The Board of Directors was confronted during recent seasons with some unfortunate
incidents of poor sportsmanship that required it to take disciplinary action. This
was unusual and raises the need for special comment.
For all the years of our operation,
our League has been distinguished by high standards of courtesy and congeniality
among all its players. We have grown to over 100 teams, with more applying for admission
to membership each year, because the experience we offer is such a good balance
of camaraderie and competition.
In 2003, a few players lost their self-control and
abandoned the Spirit of the League. If that kind of behavior is allowed to become
more common, it could threaten our very foundation. The Board is resolved not to
let that happen again. Accordingly, the Board urges the Captain of each team to
assume responsibility for all of his team members, and to take whatever steps are
necessary to caution, and even to remove players who are misbehaving.
The By Laws of the League make the Board responsible for operating the League in the interest
of all its players. It will take action, as it has in the past, if Captains do not
control poor sportsmanship, by applying sanctions up to and including suspension
from participation in the League. We believe 2003 was an aberration, and we rely
on our Captains to be the first line of defense to prevent such incidents from reoccurring.
In order to avoid future incidents of poor sportsmanship and to insure the presence
of a Captain at every match, the Board, as authorized by the League By-Laws, will
implement the following rule for the 2004 season and beyond:
Designated Captain
for each match: Each team shall designate a Captain for each match. The Captain
shall be responsible for his team's attendance, line up, recording of scores and
behavior of players. Failure of a team to have a Captain present at a match may
result in the Board, at its discretion, imposing sanctions, including forfeiture
of matches, suspension of teams from play and/or other action the Board deems appropriate
under the circumstances.
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